1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a plasma processing apparatus and to an evaluation method, a performance management system, and a performance validation system for the plasma processing apparatus and a plasma processing system. More particularly, the present invention is suitable for continuously securing the performance of the plasma processing apparatus to be maintained at a required level even after the plasma processing apparatus or system is delivered to a customer site.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 22 illustrates an example of a conventional dual-frequency excitation plasma processing apparatus which performs a plasma process such as a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process, a sputtering process, a dry etching process, or an ashing process.
In the plasma processing apparatus shown in FIG. 22, a matching circuit 2A is inserted between a radiofrequency generator 1 and a plasma excitation electrode 4. The matching circuit 2A serves as a circuit that matches the impedance between the radiofrequency generator 1 and the excitation electrode 4.
Radiofrequency power from the radiofrequency generator 1 is fed to the plasma excitation electrode 4 via the matching circuit 2A and a feed plate 3. The matching circuit 2A is accommodated in a matching box 2 which is a housing composed of a conductive material. The plasma excitation electrode 4 and the feed plate 3 are covered by a chassis 21 made of a conductor.
The plasma excitation electrode 4 is provided with a projection 4a at the lower side thereof. A shower plate 5 having many holes 7 provided under the plasma excitation electrode 4 is in contact with the projection 4a. The plasma excitation electrode 4 and the shower plate 5 define a space 6. A gas feeding tube 17 comprising a conductor is connected to the space 6. The gas feeding tube 17 is provided with an insulator 17a at the middle thereof so as to insulate the plasma excitation electrode 4 and the gas source.
Gas from the gas feeding tube 17 is fed inside a chamber space 60 composed of a chamber wall 10, via the holes 7 in the shower plate 5. An insulator 9 is disposed between the chamber wall 10 and the plasma excitation electrode 4 (cathode) to provide insulation therebetween. The exhaust system is omitted from the drawing.
A wafer susceptor (susceptor electrode) 8 which receives a substrate 16 and also serves as a plasma excitation electrode is installed inside the chamber space 60. A susceptor shield 12 is disposed under the wafer susceptor 8.
The susceptor shield 12 comprises a shield supporting plate 12A for receiving the susceptor electrode 8 and a cylindrical supporting cylinder 12B extending downward from the center of the shield supporting plate 12A. The supporting cylinder 12B penetrates a chamber bottom 10A, and the lower portion of the supporting cylinder 12B and the chamber bottom 10A are hermetically sealed with bellows 11.
The shaft 13 and the susceptor electrode 8 are electrically isolated from the susceptor shield 12 by a gap between the susceptor shield 12 and the susceptor electrode 8 and by insulators 12C provided around the shaft 13. The insulators 12C also serve to maintain high vacuum in the chamber space 60. The susceptor electrode 8 and the susceptor shield 12 can be moved upward and downward by the bellows 11 in order to control the distance between plasma excitation electrodes 4 and 8.
The susceptor electrode 8 is connected to a second radiofrequency generator 15 via the shaft 13 and a matching circuit accommodated in a matching box 14. The chamber wall 10 and the susceptor shield 12 have equal DC potentials.
FIG. 23 illustrates another example of a conventional plasma processing apparatus. Unlike the plasma processing apparatus shown in FIG. 22, the plasma processing apparatus shown in FIG. 23 is of a single-frequency excitation type. In other words, a radiofrequency power is supplied only to the cathode electrode 4 and the susceptor electrode 8 is grounded. Moreover, the matching box 14 and the radiofrequency generator 15 shown in FIG. 18 are not provided. The susceptor electrode 8 and the chamber wall 10 have the same DC potential.
In these plasma processing apparatuses, power with a frequency of approximately 13.56 MHz is generally supplied in order to generate a plasma between the electrodes 4 and 8. A plasma process such as a plasma-enhanced CVD process, a sputtering process, a dry etching process, or an ashing process is then performed using the plasma.
The operation validation and the evaluation of the above-described plasma processing apparatuses have been conducted by actually performing the process such as deposition and then evaluating the deposition characteristics thereof as follows.
(1) Deposition Rate and In-Plane Uniformity
The process of determining and evaluating deposition rates and planar uniformity includes the following.
Step 1: Depositing a desired layer on a 6-inch substrate by a plasma-enhanced CVD process.
Step 2: Patterning a resist layer.
Step 3: Dry-etching the layer.
Step 4: Separating the resist layer by ashing.
Step 5: Measuring step differences in the layer thickness using a contact-type displacement meter.
Step 6: Calculating the deposition rate from the deposition time and the layer thickness.
Step 7: Measuring the in-plane uniformity at 16 points.
(2) BHF Etching Rate
The process of determining etching rates includes the following.
A resist mask is patterned as in Steps 1 and 2 above.
Step 3: Immersing the substrate in a buffered hydrofluoric acid (BHF) solution for one minute.
Step 4: Rinsing the substrate with deionized water, drying the substrate, and separating the resist mask using a mixture of sulfuric acid and hydrogen peroxide (H2SO4+H2O2).
Step 5: Measuring the step difference as in Step 5 above.
Step 6: Calculating the etching rate from the immersion time and the step differences.
(3) Isolation Voltage
The process of determining and evaluating the isolation voltage includes the following.
Step 1: Depositing a conductive layer on a glass substrate by a sputtering method and patterning the conductive layer to form a lower electrode.
Step 2: Depositing an insulation layer by a plasma-enhanced CVD method.
Step 3: Forming an upper electrode as in Step 1.
Step 4: Forming a contact hole for the lower electrode.
Step 5: Measuring the current-voltage characteristics (I-V characteristics) of the upper and lower electrodes by using probes while applying a voltage of approximately 200 V or less.
Step 6: Defining the isolation voltage as the voltage V at 100 pA corresponding 1 xcexcA/cm2 in a 100 xcexcm square electrode.
The plasma processing apparatus has been required to achieve a higher plasma processing rate (the deposition rate or the processing speed), increased productivity, and uniformity of the plasma processing in the in-plane direction of the substrates to be treated (uniformity in the distribution of the layer thickness in the in-plane direction and uniformity in the distribution of the process variation in the in-plane direction). As the size of substrates has been increasing in recent years, the requirement for uniformity in the in-plane direction is becoming tighter.
Moreover, as the size of the substrate is increased, the power required is also increased to the order of kilowatts, thus increasing the power consumption. Accordingly, as the capacity of the power supply increases, both the cost for developing the power supply and the power consumption during the operation of the apparatus are increased. In this respect, it is desirable to reduce the operation costs.
Furthermore, an increase in power consumption leads to an increase in emission of carbon dioxide which places a burden on the environment. Since the power consumption is increased by the combination of increase in the size of substrates and a low power consumption efficiency, there is a growing demand to reduce the carbon dioxide emission.
The density of the plasma generated can be improved by increasing the plasma excitation frequency. For example, a frequency in the VHF band of 30 MHz or more can be used instead of the conventional 13.56 MHz. Thus, one possible way to improve the deposition rate of a deposition apparatus such as a plasma-enhanced CVD apparatus is to employ a high plasma excitation frequency.
Another type of plasma processing apparatus is one having a plurality of plasma chambers (multi-chamber plasma processing apparatus). Such a plasma processing apparatus is also required to achieve a higher plasma processing rate (the deposition rate or the processing speed), increased productivity, and uniformity of the plasma processing in the in-plane direction of the substrates (uniformity in the distribution of the layer thickness in the in-plane direction and uniformity in the distribution of the process variation in the in-plane direction), even when the substrates are treated in different plasma chambers. There is also a demand to eliminate operational differences among the plurality of the plasma chambers, thus avoiding processing variations.
Moreover, the respective plasma chambers of the plasma processing apparatus having the plurality of plasma processing chambers are required to achieve substantially the same plasma processing results by using the same process recipe specifying external parameters such as the flow and pressure of the charged gasses, power supply, and treatment time.
At the time of initial installation or maintenance of the plasma processing apparatus, there is a demand to reduce the amount of time required for adjusting the apparatus to eliminate differences among the plural plasma chambers and processing variations, so that substantially the same process results can be achieved by using the same process recipe. Reduction of the cost required for such an adjustment is also required.
Furthermore, a plasma processing system equipped with a plurality of the above-described plasma processing apparatuses is also required to eliminate plasma processing variations among individual plasma chambers of the individual plasma processing apparatuses.
In the above-described conventional plasma processing apparatuses, the power consumption efficiency (the ratio of the power consumed in the plasma processing chamber to the power supplied from the radiofrequency generator 1 to the plasma excitation electrode 4) is not satisfactory. Especially as the frequency supplied from the radiofrequency generator is increased, the power consumption efficiency in the plasma processing apparatus becomes significantly lower. Moreover, the power consumption efficiency decreases as the substrate size becomes larger.
As a result, the effective power consumed in the plasma space is low due to the low power consumption efficiency, resulting in a lower deposition rate. Moreover, when applied to the deposition of insulating layers, it is difficult to form insulating layers of high isolation voltage.
While the plasma processing apparatus is required to achieve a desired performance level, the multi-chamber plasma processing apparatus having the plurality of plasma processing chambers and the plasma processing system are required to eliminate the differences in the performance of plasma process among the plurality of plasma processing chambers. Even when the plasma processing apparatus is optimized as above, the level of the performance may not be maintained at the desired level and the differences among the plasma processing chambers may occur after the plasma processing apparatus has repeated plasma processes. When adjustment works such as overhauling, parts replacement, assembly with alignment or the like are performed, it is possible that the performance is not maintained at the level maintained before the adjustment works. When the plasma processing apparatus is transferred, the plasma processing apparatus is disassembled first, transferred, and then reassembled at the customer site. In this case also it is possible that the performance is not maintained at the level maintained before the transfer due to the vibration during the transfer and inappropriate reassembly work.
When processes (1) to (3) described above are employed to evaluate whether the operation of the plasma processing apparatus and the difference among the plasma processing chambers are maintained within the required levels, it becomes necessary to actually operate the plasma processing apparatus and to examine the treated substrates using an ex-situ inspection method requiring a plurality of steps.
Such an evaluation takes several days to several weeks to yield evaluation results, and the characteristics of the substrates manufactured during that period, assuming that the manufacturing line is not stopped, remain unknown during that period. If the status of the plasma processing apparatus is not satisfactory, the resulting products will not meet predetermined standards. In this respect, a method that facilitates maintenance of the plasma processing apparatus has been demanded.
The conventional plasma processing apparatuses described above are designed to use a power having a frequency of approximately 13.56 MHz and is not suited for higher frequencies. To be more specific, the units to which the radiofrequency voltage is delivered, i.e., the chambers in which plasma processing is performed, are designed without taking into an account radiofrequency characteristics such as impedance and resonance frequency characteristics and thus have the following problems.
First, when a power having a frequency exceeding 13.56 MHz is delivered, no improvement is achieved in the deposition rate during the deposition process, but rather the deposition rate is decreased in some cases.
Second, although the density of a generated plasma increases as the frequency increases, the density starts to decrease once its peak value is reached, eventually reaching a level at which glow-discharge is no longer possible, thus rendering further increases in frequency pointless.
In addition to the disadvantages described above, the conventional plasma processing apparatuses have the following disadvantages.
The conventional multi-chamber type plasma processing apparatus and plasma processing system, both comprising a plurality of plasma chambers, are not designed to eliminate the differences in electrical radiofrequency characteristics such as impedance and resonant frequency characteristics among the plasma chambers. Thus, it is possible that the effective power consumed in each of plasma spaces and the density of the generated plasma differ between each of the plasma chambers.
Also, the same plasma processing results may not be obtained even when the same process recipe is applied to these plasma chambers.
Accordingly, in order to obtain the same plasma processing results, external parameters such as gas flow/pressure, power supply, process time, and the like must be compared with the process results according to evaluation methods (1) to (3) described above for each of the plasma chambers so as to determine the correlation between them. However, the amount of data is enormous and it is impossible to completely carry out the comparison.
When methods (1) to (3) described above are employed to validate and evaluate the operation of the plasma processing apparatus, it becomes necessary to actually operate the plasma processing apparatus and to examine the treated substrates using an ex-situ inspection method comprising a plurality of steps.
Since such an inspection requires several days to several weeks to yield evaluation results, it is desired that the time required for performance inspection of a plasma processing apparatus be reduced especially when the apparatus is in the development stage.
Moreover, when methods (1) to (3) described above are employed to inspect the plasma processing apparatus or system having a plurality of plasma chambers, the time required for adjusting the plasma processing chambers so as to eliminate the difference in performance and variation in processing among the plasma processing chambers to achieve the same processing results using the same process recipe may be months. The time required for such adjustment needs to be reduced. Also, the cost of substrates for inspection, the cost of processing the substrates for inspection, the labor cost for workers involved with the adjustment, and so forth are significantly high.
As described above, while the plasma processing apparatus is required to achieve a desired performance level, the multi-chamber plasma processing apparatus having the plurality of plasma processing chambers and the plasma processing system are required to eliminate the differences in the performance of plasma process among the plurality of plasma processing chambers.
Even when the plasma processing apparatus has been optimized as above, the plasma processing apparatus is generally disassembled before the transfer and then reassembled at the customer site. Thus, it is possible that the performance is not maintained at the level generated before the transfer due to the vibration during the transfer and inappropriate reassembly work.
When processes (1) to (3) described above are employed to evaluate whether the operation of the plasma processing apparatus and the difference among the plasma processing chambers are maintained within the required levels, it becomes necessary to actually operate the plasma processing apparatus and to examine the treated substrates using an ex-situ inspection method requiring a plurality of steps.
If the performance of the plasma processing apparatus does not satisfy the required levels, it is necessary to repeat long series of cycles of adjusting the plasma processing apparatus, performing a plasma process on a substrate, and evaluating the processed substrate, thereby extending the initialization process of the delivered plasma processing apparatus. The length of the time required to complete the initialization process of a production line directly effects the annual sales, and a prolonged initialization process leads to an opportunity loss since the products can not be made available for the market at a suitable time.
Thus, it is desired that the validation of the performance of the plasma processing apparatus be performed more easily and that the cycle of fault detection and performance of corrective action be performed in a shorter period of time, so as to shorten the initialization process of the plasma processing apparatus.
In view of the above, the present invention aims to achieve the following objects.
1. To facilitate the process for evaluating whether the plasma processing apparatus maintains a required performance level.
2. To rapidly provide maintenance and corrective action when the performance of the plasma processing apparatus is not maintained at the required level.
3. To provide a performance management system for managing the plasma processing apparatus located at the customer site to maintain the required level.
4. To provide the plasma processing apparatus which can be easily maintained at the required operation level.
5. To provide an evaluation method for easily and rapidly evaluating whether the plasma processing apparatus or system located at the customer site exhibits a required performance.
6. To provide a performance management system for managing the plasma processing apparatus or system located at the customer site to exhibit a required performance and for immediately performing corrective actions when the required performance is not achieved.
According to one aspect of the present invention, a performance evaluation method for a plasma processing apparatus using a radiofrequency characteristic A, the plasma processing apparatus comprising: a plasma processing chamber including an electrode for exciting a plasma and a radiofrequency feeder, the electrode being connected to an output end of the radiofrequency feeder; a radiofrequency generator for supplying a radiofrequency voltage to the electrode; and a matching circuit having an input terminal and an output terminal, the input terminal being connected to the radiofrequency generator and the output terminal being connected to an input end of the radiofrequency feeder so as to achieve impedance matching between the plasma processing chamber and the radiofrequency generator, the method comprises: calculating the absolute value of the difference xcex94A between a radiofrequency characteristic A0 at a time t0 and a radiofrequency characteristic A1 at a later time t1 of the plasma processing chamber, the radiofrequency characteristics A0 and A1 being measured at the input end of the radiofrequency feeder; and determining that the plasma processing apparatus maintains a required level of performance when the absolute value is less than an upper limit and that the plasma processing apparatus does not maintain the required level of performance when the absolute value is not less than the upper limit.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a performance evaluation method for a plasma processing apparatus using a radiofrequency characteristic A, the plasma processing apparatus comprising: a plasma processing chamber including an electrode for exciting a plasma and a radiofrequency feeder, the electrode being connected to an output end of the radiofrequency feeder; a radiofrequency generator for supplying a radiofrequency voltage to the electrode; a radiofrequency supplier having an input end connected to the radiofrequency generator and an output end; and a matching circuit having an input terminal and an output terminal, the input terminal being connected to the output end of the radiofrequency supplier and the output terminal being connected to an input end of the radiofrequency feeder so as to achieve impedance matching between the plasma processing chamber and the radiofrequency generator, the method comprises: calculating the absolute value of the difference xcex94A between a radiofrequency characteristic A0 at a time t0 and a radiofrequency characteristic A1 at a later time t1 of the plasma processing chamber, the radiofrequency characteristics A0 and A1 being measured at the input end of the radiofrequency supplier; and determining that the plasma processing apparatus maintains a required level of performance when the absolute value is less than an upper limit and that the plasma processing apparatus does not maintain the required level of performance when the absolute value is not less than the upper limit.
According to another aspect of the invention, a performance evaluation method for a plasma processing apparatus using a radiofrequency characteristic A, the plasma processing apparatus comprising: a plasma processing chamber including an electrode for exciting a plasma and a radiofrequency feeder, the electrode being connected to an output end of the radiofrequency feeder; a radiofrequency generator for supplying a radiofrequency voltage to the electrode; a radiofrequency supplier having an input end connected to the radiofrequency generator and an output end; and a matching circuit having an input terminal and an output terminal, the input terminal being connected to the output end of the radiofrequency supplier and the output terminal being connected to the input end of the radiofrequency feeder so as to achieve impedance matching between the plasma processing chamber and the radiofrequency generator, the method comprises: calculating the absolute value of the difference xcex94A between a radiofrequency characteristic A0 at a time t0 and a radiofrequency characteristic A1 at a later time t1 of the plasma processing chamber, the radiofrequency characteristics A0 and A1 being measured at the input terminal of the matching circuit; and determining that the plasma processing apparatus maintains a required level of performance when the absolute value is less than an upper limit and that the plasma processing apparatus does not maintain the required level of performance when the absolute value is not less than the upper limit.
According to the present invention, a maintenance method for a plasma processing apparatus comprises performing a corrective action to correct the above-described radiofrequency characteristic A when the absolute value of xcex94A calculated according to the above-described evaluation method is more than or equal to the upper limit.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a performance management system for a plasma processing apparatus using a radiofrequency characteristic A, the plasma processing apparatus comprising: a plasma processing chamber including an electrode for exciting a plasma and a radiofrequency feeder, the electrode being connected to an output end of the radiofrequency feeder; a radiofrequency generator for supplying a radiofrequency voltage to the electrode; and a matching circuit having an input terminal and an output terminal, the input terminal being connected to the radiofrequency generator and the output terminal being connected to an input end of the radiofrequency feeder so as to achieve impedance matching between the plasma processing chamber and the radiofrequency generator, the performance management system comprises: a server storing data of a radiofrequency characteristic A0 of the plasma processing chamber at a time t0 measured at the input end of the radiofrequency feeder; and a customer I/O device linked to the server via a communication line. The server receives data of a radiofrequency characteristic A1 at a later time t1 from the customer I/O device, calculates the absolute value of the difference xcex94A between the radiofrequency characteristics A0 and A1, and transmits a signal indicating that the plasma processing apparatus maintains the required level of performance when the absolute value is less than an upper limit and a signal indicating that the plasma processing apparatus does not maintain the required level of performance when the absolute value is not less than the upper limit, to the customer I/O device.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a performance management system for a plasma processing apparatus using a radiofrequency characteristic A, the plasma processing apparatus comprising: a plasma processing chamber including an electrode for exciting a plasma and a radiofrequency feeder, the electrode being connected to an output end of the radiofrequency feeder; a radiofrequency generator for supplying a radiofrequency voltage to the electrode; a radiofrequency supplier having an input end connected to the radiofrequency generator and an output end; and a matching circuit having an input terminal and an output terminal, the input terminal being connected to the output end of the radiofrequency supplier and the output terminal being connected to an input end of the radiofrequency feeder so as to achieve impedance matching between the plasma processing chamber and the radiofrequency generator, the performance management system comprises: a server storing data of a radiofrequency characteristic A0 of the plasma processing chamber at a time t0 measured at the input end of the radiofrequency supplier; and a customer I/O device linked to the server via a communication line. The server receives data of a radiofrequency characteristic A1 at a later time t1 from the customer I/O device, calculates the absolute value of the difference xcex94A between the radiofrequency characteristics A0 and A1, and transmits a signal indicating that the plasma processing apparatus maintains the required level of performance when the absolute value is less than an upper limit and a signal indicating that the plasma processing apparatus does not maintain the required level of performance when the absolute value is not less than the upper limit, to the customer I/O device.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a performance management system for a plasma processing apparatus using a radiofrequency characteristic A, the plasma processing apparatus comprising: a plasma processing chamber including an electrode for exciting a plasma and a radiofrequency feeder, the electrode being connected to an output end of the radiofrequency feeder; a radiofrequency generator for supplying a radiofrequency voltage to the electrode; a radiofrequency supplier having an input end connected to the radiofrequency generator and an output end; and a matching circuit having an input terminal and an output terminal, the input terminal being connected to the output end of the radiofrequency supplier and the output terminal being connected to an input end of the radiofrequency feeder so as to achieve impedance matching between the plasma processing chamber and the radiofrequency generator, the performance management system comprises: a server storing data of a radiofrequency characteristic A0 of the plasma processing chamber at a time t0 measured at the input terminal of the matching circuit; and a customer I/O device linked to the server via a communication line. The server receives data of a radiofrequency characteristic A1 at a later time t1 from the customer I/O device, calculates the absolute value of the difference xcex94A between the radiofrequency characteristics A0 and A1, and transmits a signal indicating that the plasma processing apparatus maintains the required level of performance when the absolute value is less than an upper limit and a signal indicating that the plasma processing apparatus does not maintain the required level of performance when the absolute value is not less than the upper limit, to the customer I/O device.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a performance management system for a plasma processing apparatus using a radiofrequency characteristic A, the plasma processing apparatus comprising: a plasma processing chamber including an electrode for exciting a plasma and a radiofrequency feeder, the electrode being connected to an output end of the radiofrequency feeder; a radiofrequency generator for supplying a radiofrequency voltage to the electrode; and a matching circuit having an input terminal and an output terminal, the input terminal being connected to the radiofrequency generator and the output terminal being connected to an input end of the radiofrequency feeder so as to achieve impedance matching between the plasma processing chamber and the radiofrequency generator, the performance management system comprises: a server storing data of a radiofrequency characteristic A0 of the plasma processing chamber at a time t0 measured at the input end of the radiofrequency feeder and service engineer information according to fault levels each having a predetermined range; an output device for the server, the output device being located at a delivery site; and a customer I/O device linked to the server via a communication line. The server receives data of a radiofrequency characteristic A1 at a later time t1 from the customer I/O device, calculates the absolute value of the difference xcex94A between the radiofrequency characteristics A0 and A1, and outputs the fault level, the service engineer information corresponding to the fault level, and a maintenance command corresponding to the fault level through the output device, if the absolute value falls within the fault level with the predetermined range.
According to another aspect of the invention, a performance management system for a plasma processing apparatus using a radiofrequency characteristic A, the plasma processing apparatus comprising: a plasma processing chamber including an electrode for exciting a plasma and a radiofrequency feeder, the electrode being connected to an output end of the radiofrequency feeder; a radiofrequency generator for supplying a radiofrequency voltage to the electrode; a radiofrequency supplier having an input end connected to the radiofrequency generator and an output end; and a matching circuit having an input terminal and an output terminal, the input terminal being connected to the output end of the radiofrequency supplier and the output terminal being connected to an input end of the radiofrequency feeder so as to achieve impedance matching between the plasma processing chamber and the radiofrequency generator, the performance management system comprises: a server storing a radiofrequency characteristic A0 of the plasma processing chamber at a time t0 measured at the input end of the radiofrequency supplier and service engineer information according to fault levels each having a predetermined range; an output device for the server, the output device being located at a delivery site; and a customer I/O device linked to the server via a communication line. The server receives data of a radiofrequency characteristic A1 at a later time t0 from the customer I/O device, calculates the absolute value of the difference xcex94A between the radiofrequency characteristics A0 and A1, and outputs the fault level, the service engineer information corresponding to the fault level, and a maintenance command corresponding to the fault level through the output device, if the absolute value falls within the fault level with the predetermined range.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a performance management system for a plasma processing apparatus using a radiofrequency characteristic A, the plasma processing apparatus comprising: a plasma processing chamber including an electrode for exciting a plasma and a radiofrequency feeder, the electrode being connected to an output end of the radiofrequency feeder; a radiofrequency generator for supplying a radiofrequency voltage to the electrode; a radiofrequency supplier having an input end connected to the radiofrequency generator and an output end; and a matching circuit having an input terminal and an output terminal, the input terminal being connected to the output end of the radiofrequency supplier and the output terminal being connected to an input end of the radiofrequency feeder so as to achieve impedance matching between the plasma processing chamber and the radiofrequency generator, the performance management system comprises: a server storing data of a radiofrequency characteristic A0 of the plasma processing chamber at a time t0 measured at the input terminal of the matching circuit and service engineer information according to fault levels each having a predetermined range; an output device for the server, the output device being located at a delivery site; and a customer I/O device linked to the server via a communication line. The server receives data of a radiofrequency characteristic A1 at a later time t1 from the customer I/O device, calculates the absolute value of the difference xcex94A between the radiofrequency characteristics A0 and A1, and outputs the fault level, the service engineer information corresponding to the fault level, and a maintenance command corresponding to the fault level through the output device, if the absolute value falls within the fault level with the predetermined range.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a plasma processing apparatus comprises: a plasma processing chamber including an electrode for exciting a plasma and a radiofrequency feeder, the electrode being connected to an output end of the radiofrequency feeder; a radiofrequency generator for supplying a radiofrequency voltage to the electrode; and a matching circuit having an input terminal and an output terminal, the input terminal being connected to the radiofrequency generator and the output terminal being connected to an input end of the radiofrequency feeder so as to achieve impedance matching between the plasma processing chamber and the radiofrequency generator. The absolute value of the difference xcex94A between a radiofrequency characteristics A0 at a time t0 and radiofrequency characteristic A1 at a later time t1 of a radiofrequency characteristic A of the plasma processing chamber is maintained at a value which is less than an upper limit, and the radiofrequency characteristics A0 and A1 is measured at the input end of the radiofrequency feeder.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a plasma processing apparatus comprises: a plasma processing chamber including an electrode for exciting a plasma and a radiofrequency feeder, the electrode being connected to an output end of the radiofrequency feeder; a radiofrequency generator for supplying a radiofrequency voltage to the electrode; a radiofrequency supplier having an input end connected to the radiofrequency generator and an output end; and a matching circuit having an input terminal and an output terminal, the input terminal being connected to the output end of the radiofrequency supplier and the output terminal being connected to an input end of the radiofrequency feeder so as to achieve impedance matching between the plasma processing chamber and the radiofrequency generator. The absolute value of the difference xcex94A between a radiofrequency characteristics A0 at a time t0 and radiofrequency characteristic A1 at a later time t1 of a radiofrequency characteristic A of the plasma processing chamber is maintained at a value which is less than an upper limit, and the radiofrequency characteristics A0 and A1 is measured at the input end of the radiofrequency supplier.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a plasma processing apparatus comprises: a plasma processing chamber including an electrode for exciting a plasma and a radiofrequency feeder, the electrode being connected to an output end of the radiofrequency feeder; a radiofrequency generator for supplying a radiofrequency voltage to the electrode; a radiofrequency supplier having an input end connected to the radiofrequency generator and an output end; and a matching circuit having an input terminal and an output terminal, the input terminal being connected to the output end of the radiofrequency supplier and the output terminal being connected to the input end of the radiofrequency feeder so as to achieve impedance matching between the plasma processing chamber and the radiofrequency generator. The absolute value of the difference xcex94A between a radiofrequency characteristics A0 at a time t0 and radiofrequency characteristic A1 at a later time t1 of a radiofrequency characteristic A of the plasma processing chamber is maintained at a value which is less than an upper limit, and the radiofrequency characteristics A0 and A1 is measured at the input terminal of the matching circuit.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a performance validation system for the above-described plasma processing apparatus comprises a customer terminal, an engineer terminal, and information providing means. The customer terminal requests browsing of performance information at the time t0 and the later time t1 to the information providing means via a public line, a maintenance engineer uploads the performance information to the information providing means through the engineer terminal, and the information providing means provides the performance information uploaded from the engineer terminal to the customer terminal upon the request from the customer terminal.
In each of the above aspects of the present invention, the radiofrequency characteristic A is preferably any one of a resonant frequency f, an impedance Zef at the frequency of the radiofrequency waves, a resistance Ref at the frequency of the radiofrequency waves, and a reactance Xef at the frequency of the radiofrequency waves.
In each of the above aspects of the present invention, the upper limit is preferably 10% of A0, and more preferably, 3% of A0.
In each of the above aspects of the present invention, a workpiece may be introduced into the plasma processing chamber between the time t0 and the later time t1 to plasma-treat the workpiece. Also, an adjustment work including overhaul, parts replacement, and assembly with alignment of the plasma processing chamber may be performed between the time t0 and the later time t1. These events may affect the radiofrequency characteristic A.
Alternatively, in the above-described performance management system of the plasma processing apparatus according to the present invention, the server may store the data of radiofrequency characteristic A0 according to identification numbers of the plasma processing chambers, may receive the data of the identification number of the plasma processing chamber sent from the customer I/O device, and may perform calculation using A0 associated with this identification number.
Alternatively, in the above-described performance management system of the plasma processing apparatus according to the present invention, the customer I/O device may be connected to an impedance meter which is connected to the plasma processing chamber so that data of the radiofrequency characteristic A1 is directly transmitted from the impedance meter to the server.
Alternatively, in the above-described performance management system of the plasma processing apparatus according to the present invention, the server may be provided with an output device located at a delivery site so that a maintenance command can be output from the output device when the absolute value of xcex94A is not less than the upper limit.
Alternatively, in the above-described performance management system of the plasma processing apparatus according to the present invention, the server may output the maintenance command from the output device located at the delivery site and at the same time transmit the fault level to the customer I/O device.
Preferably, in the plasma processing apparatus of the present invention describe above, corrective action for correcting the radiofrequency characteristic A is performed when the absolute value of xcex94A is not less than the upper limit so that the absolute value of xcex94A is maintained at less than the upper limit.
Preferably, in the performance validation system of the plasma processing apparatus of the present invention described above, the performance information contains information on the radiofrequency characteristic A. Moreover, the performance information may be output as a catalog or a specification document.
According to another aspect of the present invention, in a performance evaluation method for a plasma processing apparatus which is disassembled before transfer, is transferred to a customer, and is reassembled at a customer site, the plasma processing apparatus comprising a plasma processing chamber including an electrode for exciting a plasma and a radiofrequency feeder, the electrode being connected to an output end of the radiofrequency feeder; a radiofrequency generator for supplying a radiofrequency voltage to the electrode; and a matching circuit having an input terminal and an output terminal, the input terminal being connected to the radiofrequency generator and the output terminal being connected to an input end of the radiofrequency feeder so as to achieve impedance matching between the plasma processing chamber and the radiofrequency generator, the method comprises determining that the plasma processing apparatus maintains a required level of performance when three times a first series resonant frequency f01 of the plasma processing chamber after the delivery is larger than the power frequency fe of the radiofrequency and that the plasma processing apparatus does not maintain the required level of performance when three times the first series resonant frequency f01 is not larger than the power frequency fe, wherein the first series resonant frequency f01 is measured at the input end of the radiofrequency feeder.
According to another aspect of the present invention, in a performance evaluation method for a plasma processing apparatus which is disassembled before transfer, is transferred to a customer, and is reassembled at a customer site, the plasma processing apparatus comprising a plurality of plasma processing chambers each including an electrode for exciting a plasma and a radiofrequency feeder, the electrode being connected to an output end of the radiofrequency feeder; a radiofrequency generator for supplying a radiofrequency voltage to the electrode of each of the plasma processing chambers; and a matching circuit having an input terminal and an output terminal, the input terminal being connected to the radiofrequency generator and the output terminal being connected to an input end of the radiofrequency feeder so as to achieve impedance matching between the plasma processing chamber and the radiofrequency generator, the method comprises determining that the plasma processing apparatus maintains a required level of performance when a variation A1r, defined by (A1maxxe2x88x92A1min)/(A1max+A1min), between the maximum frequency A1max and the minimum frequency A1min among radiofrequency characteristics A of the plurality of plasma processing chambers is less than an upper limit and that the plasma processing apparatus does not maintain the required level of performance when the variation is not less than the upper limit, wherein the radiofrequency characteristics A are measured at the input ends of the radiofrequency feeders.
According to another aspect of the present invention, in a performance evaluation method for a plasma processing apparatus which is disassembled before transfer, is transferred to a customer, and is reassembled at a customer site, the plasma processing apparatus comprising a plurality of plasma processing chambers, each including an electrode for exciting a plasma and a radiofrequency feeder, the electrode being connected to an output end of the radiofrequency feeder; a radiofrequency generator for supplying a radiofrequency voltage to the electrode of each of the plasma processing chambers; a radiofrequency supplier, an input end being connected to the radiofrequency generator; and a matching circuit having an input terminal and an output terminal, the input terminal being connected to the output end of the radiofrequency supplier and the output terminal being connected to an input end of the radiofrequency feeder so as to achieve impedance matching between the plasma processing chamber and the radiofrequency generator, the method comprises determining that the plasma processing apparatus maintains a required level of performance when a variation A1r, defined by (A1maxxe2x88x92A1min)/(A1max+A1min), between the maximum frequency A1max and the minimum frequency A1min among radiofrequency characteristics A of the plurality of plasma processing chambers is less than an upper limit and that the plasma processing apparatus does not maintain the required level of performance when the variation is not less than the upper limit, wherein the radiofrequency characteristics A are measured at the input terminals of the matching circuits.
According to another aspect of the present invention, in a performance evaluation method for a plasma processing apparatus which is disassembled before transfer, is transferred to a customer, and is reassembled at a customer site, the plasma processing apparatus comprising: a plurality of plasma processing chambers, each including an electrode for exciting a plasma and a radiofrequency feeder, the electrode being connected to an output end of the radiofrequency feeder; a radiofrequency generator for supplying a radiofrequency voltage to the electrode of each of the plasma processing chambers; a radiofrequency supplier, an input end being connected to the radiofrequency generator; and a matching circuit having an input terminal and an output terminal, the input terminal being connected to the output end of the radiofrequency supplier and the output terminal being connected to an input end of the radiofrequency feeder so as to achieve impedance matching between the plasma processing chamber and the radiofrequency generator, the method comprises determining that the plasma processing apparatus maintains a required level of performance when a variation A1r, defined by (A1maxxe2x88x92A1min)/(A1max+A1min), between the maximum frequency A1max and the minimum frequency A1min among radiofrequency characteristics A of the plurality of plasma processing chambers is less than an upper limit and that the plasma processing apparatus does not maintain the required level of performance when the variation is not less than the upper limit, wherein the radiofrequency characteristics A are measured at the input ends of the radiofrequency suppliers.
According to another aspect of the present invention, in a performance evaluation method for a plasma processing apparatus which is disassembled before transfer, is transferred to a customer, and is reassembled at a customer site, the plasma processing apparatus comprising a plurality of plasma processing chambers, each including an electrode for exciting a plasma and a radiofrequency feeder, the electrode being connected to an output end of the radiofrequency feeder; a radiofrequency generator for supplying a radiofrequency voltage to the electrode; and a matching circuit having an input terminal and an output terminal, the input terminal being connected to the radiofrequency generator and the output terminal being connected to an input end of the radiofrequency feeder so as to achieve impedance matching between the plasma processing chamber and the radiofrequency generator, the method comprises determining that the plasma processing apparatus maintains a required level of performance when a variation f01r, defined by (f01maxxe2x88x92f01min)/(f01max+f01min), between the maximum f01max and the minimum f01min of the first series resonant frequencies f01 of the plurality of plasma processing chambers after the delivery is less than an upper limit and when three times of the first series resonant frequency f01 of each plasma processing chamber after the delivery is larger than the power frequency fe of the radiofrequency and that the plasma processing apparatus does not maintain the required level of performance when the variation f01r is not less than the upper limit or when three times the first series resonant frequency f01 is not larger than the power frequency fe, wherein the first series resonant frequency f01 is measured at the input end of the radiofrequency feeder.
According to another aspect of the present invention, in a performance evaluation method for a plasma processing apparatus which is disassembled before transfer, is transferred to a customer, and is reassembled at a customer site, the plasma processing apparatus comprising a plurality of plasma processing chambers, each including an electrode for exciting a plasma and a radiofrequency feeder, the electrode being connected to an output end of the radiofrequency feeder; a radiofrequency generator for supplying a radiofrequency voltage to the electrode of each of the plasma processing chambers; a radiofrequency supplier, an input end being connected to the radiofrequency generator; and a matching circuit having an input terminal and an output terminal, the input terminal being connected to the output end of the radiofrequency supplier and the output terminal being connected to an input end of the radiofrequency feeder so as to achieve impedance matching between the plasma processing chamber and the radiofrequency generator, the method comprises determining that the plasma processing apparatus maintains a required level of performance when a variation f01r, defined by (f01maxxe2x88x92f01min)/(f01max+f01min), between the maximum f01max and the minimum f01min of the first series resonant frequencies f01 of the plurality of plasma processing chambers after the delivery is less than an upper limit and when three times of the first series resonant frequency f01 of each plasma processing chamber after the delivery is larger than the power frequency fe of the radiofrequency and that the plasma processing apparatus does not maintain the required level of performance when the variation f01r is not less than the upper limit or when three times the first series resonant frequency f01 is not larger than the power frequency fe, wherein the first series resonant frequency f01 are measured at the input terminal of the matching circuit.
According to another aspect of the present invention, in a performance evaluation method for a plasma processing apparatus which is disassembled before transfer, is transferred to a customer, and is reassembled at a customer site, the plasma processing apparatus comprising a plurality of plasma processing chambers, each including an electrode for exciting a plasma and a radiofrequency feeder, the electrode being connected to an output end of the radiofrequency feeder; a radiofrequency generator for supplying a radiofrequency voltage to the electrode of each of the plasma processing chambers; a radiofrequency supplier, an input end being connected to the radiofrequency generator; and a matching circuit having an input terminal and an output terminal, the input terminal being connected to the output end of the radiofrequency supplier and the output terminal being connected to an input end of the radiofrequency feeder so as to achieve impedance matching between the plasma processing chamber and the radiofrequency generator, the method comprises determining that the plasma processing apparatus maintains a required level of performance when a variation f01r, defined by (f01maxxe2x88x92f01min)/(f01max+f01min), between the maximum f01max and the minimum f01min of the first series resonant frequencies f01 of the plurality of plasma processing chambers after the delivery is less than an upper limit and when three times of the first series resonant frequency f01 of each plasma processing chamber after the delivery is larger than the power frequency fe of the radiofrequency and that the plasma processing apparatus does not maintain the required level of performance when the variation f01r is not less than the upper limit or when three times the first series resonant frequency f01 is not larger than the power frequency fe, wherein the first series resonant frequency f01 are measured at the input end of the radiofrequency supplier.
According to another aspect of the present invention, in a performance evaluation method for a plasma processing system which includes a plurality of plasma processing apparatuses and is disassembled before transfer, is transferred to a customer, and is reassembled at a customer site, each plasma processing apparatus comprising a plasma processing chamber including an electrode for exciting a plasma and a radiofrequency feeder, the electrode being connected to an output end of the radiofrequency feeder; a radiofrequency generator for supplying a radiofrequency voltage to the electrode; and a matching circuit having an input terminal and an output terminal, the input terminal being connected to the radiofrequency generator and the output terminal being connected to an input end of the radiofrequency feeder so as to achieve impedance matching between the plasma processing chamber and the radiofrequency generator, the method comprises determining that the plasma processing apparatus maintains a required level of performance when a variation A1r, defined by (A1maxxe2x88x92A1min)/(A1max+A1min), between the maximum A1max and the minimum A1min of the radiofrequency characteristics A of the plasma processing chambers after the delivery is less than an upper limit and that the plasma processing apparatus does not maintain the required level of performance when the variation A1r is not less than the upper limit, wherein the first series resonant frequency f01 is measured at the input end of the radiofrequency feeder.
According to another aspect of the present invention, in a performance evaluation method for a plasma processing system which includes a plurality of plasma processing apparatuses and is disassembled before transfer, is transferred to a customer, and is reassembled at a customer site, each plasma processing apparatus comprising a plasma processing chamber including an electrode for exciting a plasma and a radiofrequency feeder, the electrode being connected to an output end of the radiofrequency feeder; a radiofrequency generator for supplying a radiofrequency voltage to the electrode of each of the plasma processing chambers; a radiofrequency supplier, an input end being connected to the radiofrequency generator; and a matching circuit having an input terminal and an output terminal, the input terminal being connected to the output end of the radiofrequency supplier and the output terminal being connected to an input end of the radiofrequency feeder so as to achieve impedance matching between the plasma processing chamber and the radiofrequency generator, the method comprises determining that the plasma processing apparatus maintains a required level of performance when a variation A1r, defined by (A1maxxe2x88x92A1min)/(A1max+A1min), between the maximum A1max and the minimum A1min of the radiofrequency characteristics A of the plasma processing chambers after the delivery is less than an upper limit and that the plasma processing apparatus does not maintain the required level of performance when the variation A1r is not less than the upper limit, wherein the radiofrequency characteristics A are measured at the input terminals of the matching circuits.
According to another aspect of the present invention, in a performance evaluation method for a plasma processing system which includes a plurality of plasma processing apparatuses and is disassembled before transfer, is transferred to a customer, and is reassembled at a customer site, each plasma processing apparatus comprising a plasma processing chamber including an electrode for exciting a plasma and a radiofrequency feeder, the electrode being connected to an output end of the radiofrequency feeder; a radiofrequency generator for supplying a radiofrequency voltage to the electrode of each of the plasma processing chambers; a radiofrequency supplier, an input end being connected to the radiofrequency generator; and a matching circuit having an input terminal and an output terminal, the input terminal being connected to the output end of the radiofrequency supplier and the output terminal being connected to an input end of the radiofrequency feeder so as to achieve impedance matching between the plasma processing chamber and the radiofrequency generator, the method comprises determining that the plasma processing apparatus maintains a required level of performance when a variation A1r, defined by (A1maxxe2x88x92A1min)/(A1max+A1min), between the maximum A1max and the minimum A1min of the radiofrequency characteristics A of the plasma processing chambers after the delivery is less than an upper limit and that the plasma processing apparatus does not maintain the required level of performance when the variation A1r is not less than the upper limit, wherein the radiofrequency characteristics A are measured at the input ends of the radiofrequency suppliers.
According to another aspect of the present invention, in a performance evaluation method for a plasma processing system which includes a plurality of plasma processing apparatuses and is disassembled before transfer, is transferred to a customer, and is reassembled at a customer site, each plasma processing apparatus comprising a plasma processing chamber including an electrode for exciting a plasma and a radiofrequency feeder, the electrode being connected to an output end of the radiofrequency feeder; a radiofrequency generator for supplying a radiofrequency voltage to the electrode; and a matching circuit having an input terminal and an output terminal, the input terminal being connected to the radiofrequency generator and the output terminal being connected to an input end of the radiofrequency feeder so as to achieve impedance matching between the plasma processing chamber and the radiofrequency generator, the method comprises determining that the plasma processing apparatus maintains a required level of performance when a variation f01r, defined by (f01maxxe2x88x92f01min)/(f01max+f01min), between the maximum f01max and the minimum f01min of the first series resonant frequencies f01 of the plurality of plasma processing chambers after the delivery is less than an upper limit and when three times of the first series resonant frequency f01 of each plasma processing chamber after the delivery is larger than the power frequency fe of the radiofrequency and that the plasma processing apparatus does not maintain the required level of performance when the variation f01r is not less than the upper limit or when three times the first series resonant frequency f01 is not larger than the power frequency fe, wherein the first series resonant frequency f01 is measured at the input end of the radiofrequency feeder.
According to another aspect of the present invention, in a performance evaluation method for a plasma processing system which includes a plurality of plasma processing apparatuses and is disassembled before transfer, is transferred to a customer, and is reassembled at a customer site, each plasma processing apparatus comprising a plasma processing chamber including an electrode for exciting a plasma and a radiofrequency feeder, the electrode being connected to an output end of the radiofrequency feeder; a radiofrequency generator for supplying a radiofrequency voltage to the electrode of each of the plasma processing chambers; a radiofrequency supplier, an input end being connected to the radiofrequency generator; and a matching circuit having an input terminal and an output terminal, the input terminal being connected to the output end of the radiofrequency supplier and the output terminal being connected to an input end of the radiofrequency feeder so as to achieve impedance matching between the plasma processing chamber and the radiofrequency generator, the method comprises determining that the plasma processing apparatus maintains a required level of performance when a variation f01r, defined by (f01maxxe2x88x92f01min)/(f01max+f01min), between the maximum f01max and the minimum f01min of the first series resonant frequencies f01 of the plurality of plasma processing chambers after the delivery is less than an upper limit and when three times of the first series resonant frequency f01 of each plasma processing chamber after the delivery is larger than the power frequency fe of the radiofrequency and that the plasma processing apparatus does not maintain the required level of performance when the variation f01r is not less than the upper limit or when three times the first series resonant frequency f01 is not larger than the power frequency fe, wherein the first series resonant frequency f01 are measured at the input terminal of the matching circuit.
According to another aspect of the present invention, in a performance evaluation method for a plasma processing system which includes a plurality of plasma processing apparatuses and is disassembled before transfer, is transferred to a customer, and is reassembled at a customer site, each plasma processing apparatus comprising a plasma processing chamber including an electrode for exciting a plasma and a radiofrequency feeder, the electrode being connected to an output end of the radiofrequency feeder; a radiofrequency generator for supplying a radiofrequency voltage to the electrode of each of the plasma processing chambers; a radiofrequency supplier, an input end being connected to the radiofrequency generator; and a matching circuit having an input terminal and an output terminal, the input terminal being connected to the output end of the radiofrequency supplier and the output terminal being connected to an input end of the radiofrequency feeder so as to achieve impedance matching between the plasma processing chamber and the radiofrequency generator, the method comprises determining that the plasma processing apparatus maintains a required level of performance when a variation f01r, defined by (f01maxxe2x88x92f01min)/(f01max+f01min), between the maximum f01max and the minimum f01min of the first series resonant frequencies f01 of the plurality of plasma processing chambers after the delivery is less than an upper limit and when three times of the first series resonant frequency f01 of each plasma processing chamber after the delivery is larger than the power frequency fe of the radiofrequency and that the plasma processing apparatus does not maintain the required level of performance when the variation f01r is not less than the upper limit or when three times the first series resonant frequency f01 is not larger than the power frequency fe, wherein the first series resonant frequency f01 are measured at the input end of the radiofrequency supplier.
According to another aspect of the present invention, in a performance management system for a plasma processing system which is disassembled before transfer, is transferred to a customer, and is reassembled at a customer site, the plasma processing system comprising a plasma processing apparatus comprising a plasma processing chamber including an electrode for exciting a plasma and a radiofrequency feeder, the electrode being connected to an output end of the radiofrequency feeder; a radiofrequency generator for supplying a radiofrequency voltage to the electrode; and a matching circuit having an input terminal and an output terminal, the input terminal being connected to the radiofrequency generator and the output terminal being connected to an input end of the radiofrequency feeder so as to achieve impedance matching between the plasma processing chamber and the radiofrequency generator, the performance management system comprises a sever for storing data of a power frequency fe which is supplied from the radiofrequency generator to the plasma processing chamber, and a customer I/O device linked to the server via a communication line, wherein the server receives data of a first series resonant frequency f01 of each plasma processing chamber after the delivery from the customer I/O device, wherein the first series resonant frequency f01 is measured at the input end of the radiofrequency feeder, and transmits a signal indicating satisfying the required level of performance when three times the first series resonant frequency f01 is larger than the power frequency fe and a signal indicating not satisfying the required level of performance when three times the first series resonant frequency f01 is not larger than the power frequency fe.
According to another aspect of the present invention, in a performance management system for a plasma processing system which is disassembled before transfer, is transferred to a customer, and is reassembled at a customer site, the plasma processing system comprising a plurality of plasma processing apparatuses, each comprising a plasma processing chamber including an electrode for exciting a plasma and a radiofrequency feeder, the electrode being connected to an output end of the radiofrequency feeder; a radiofrequency generator for supplying a radiofrequency voltage to the electrode; and a matching circuit having an input terminal and an output terminal, the input terminal being connected to the radiofrequency generator and the output terminal being connected to an input end of the radiofrequency feeder so as to achieve impedance matching between the plasma processing chamber and the radiofrequency generator, the performance management system comprises a sever for storing data of a power frequency fe which is supplied from the radiofrequency generator to the plasma processing chamber, and a customer I/O device linked to the server via a communication line, wherein the server receives data of first series resonant frequencies f01 of plasma processing chambers after the delivery from the customer I/O device, wherein the first series resonant frequencies f01 are measured at the input end of each radiofrequency feeder, and transmits a signal indicating satisfying the required level of performance when three times the first series resonant frequency f01 is larger than the power frequency fe in all the plasma processing chambers and a signal indicating not satisfying the required level of performance when three times the first series resonant frequency f01 is not larger than the power frequency fe in any one of the plasma processing chambers.
According to another aspect of the present invention, in a performance management system for a plasma processing system which is disassembled before transfer, is transferred to a customer, and is reassembled at a customer site, the plasma processing system comprising a plurality of plasma processing apparatuses, each comprising a plasma processing chamber including an electrode for exciting a plasma and a radiofrequency feeder, the electrode being connected to an output end of the radiofrequency feeder; a radiofrequency generator for supplying a radiofrequency voltage to the electrode; and a matching circuit having an input terminal and an output terminal, the input terminal being connected to the radiofrequency generator and the output terminal being connected to an input end of the radiofrequency feeder so as to achieve impedance matching between the plasma processing chamber and the radiofrequency generator, the performance management system comprises a server including an output device and a customer I/O device linked to the server via a communication line, wherein the server receives data of identification numbers and radiofrequency characteristics A1 of the plasma processing chambers after the delivery from the customer I/O device, and outputs the identification numbers and a maintenance command through the output device when a variation A1r, defined by (A1maxxe2x88x92A1min)/(A1max+A1min), between the maximum frequency A1max and the minimum frequency A1min among radiofrequency characteristics A1 is not less than an upper limit, wherein the radiofrequency characteristics A are measured at the input ends of the radiofrequency feeders.
According to another aspect of the present invention, in a performance management system for a plasma processing system which is disassembled before transfer, is transferred to a customer, and is reassembled at a customer site, the plasma processing system comprising a plurality of plasma processing apparatuses, each comprising a plasma processing chamber including an electrode for exciting a plasma and a radiofrequency feeder, the electrode being connected to an output end of the radiofrequency feeder; a radiofrequency generator for supplying a radiofrequency voltage to the electrode; a radiofrequency supplier having an input end connected to the radiofrequency generator and an output end; and a matching circuit having an input terminal and an output terminal, the input terminal being connected to the output end of the radiofrequency supplier and the output terminal being connected to an input end of the radiofrequency feeder so as to achieve impedance matching between the plasma processing chamber and the radiofrequency generator, the performance management system comprises a server including an output device and a customer I/O device linked to the server via a communication line, wherein the server receives data of identification numbers and radiofrequency characteristics A1 of the plasma processing chambers after the delivery from the customer I/O device, and outputs the identification numbers and a maintenance command through the output device when a variation A1r, defined by (A1maxxe2x88x92A1min)/(A1max+A1min), between the maximum frequency A1max and the minimum frequency A1min among radiofrequency characteristics A1 is not less than an upper limit, wherein the radiofrequency characteristics A are measured at the input ends of the radiofrequency suppliers.
According to another aspect of the present invention, in a performance management system for a plasma processing system which is disassembled before transfer, is transferred to a customer, and is reassembled at a customer site, the plasma processing system comprising a plurality of plasma processing apparatuses, each comprising a plasma processing chamber including an electrode for exciting a plasma and a radiofrequency feeder, the electrode being connected to an output end of the radiofrequency feeder; a radiofrequency generator for supplying a radiofrequency voltage to the electrode; a radiofrequency supplier having an input end connected to the radiofrequency generator and an output end; and a matching circuit having an input terminal and an output terminal, the input terminal being connected to the output end of the radiofrequency supplier and the output terminal being connected to an input end of the radiofrequency feeder so as to achieve impedance matching between the plasma processing chamber and the radiofrequency generator, the performance management system comprises a server including an output device and a customer I/O device linked to the server via a communication line, wherein the server receives data of identification numbers and radiofrequency characteristics A1 of the plasma processing chambers after the delivery from the customer I/O device, and outputs the identification numbers and a maintenance command through the output device when a variation A1r, defined by (A1maxxe2x88x92A1min)/(A1max +A1min), between the maximum frequency A1max and the minimum frequency A1min among radiofrequency characteristics A1 is not less than an upper limit, wherein the radiofrequency characteristics A are measured at the input terminals of the matching circuits.
According to another aspect of the present invention, in a performance management system for a plasma processing system which includes a plurality of plasma processing apparatuses and is disassembled before transfer, is transferred to a customer, and is reassembled at a customer site, each plasma processing apparatus comprising a plasma processing chamber including an electrode for exciting a plasma and a radiofrequency feeder, the electrode being connected to an output end of the radiofrequency feeder; a radiofrequency generator for supplying a radiofrequency voltage to the electrode; and a matching circuit having an input terminal and an output terminal, the input terminal being connected to the radiofrequency generator and the output terminal being connected to an input end of the radiofrequency feeder so as to achieve impedance matching between the plasma processing chamber and the radiofrequency generator, the performance management system comprises a server which stores data of the power frequency fe supplied from the radiofrequency generator to the plasma processing chambers; and a customer I/O device linked to the server via a communication line, wherein the server receives the first series resonant frequencies f01 measured at the input end of the radiofrequency feeder after the delivery of the plasma processing chambers, and transmits a signal indicating satisfying the required level of the performance when the three times the first resonant frequency f01 is larger than the power frequency fe in all the plasma processing chambers, and a signal indicating not satisfying the required level of the performance when the three times the first resonant frequency f01 is not larger than the power frequency fe in any one of the plasma processing chambers.
According to another aspect of the present invention, in a performance management system for a plasma processing system which includes a plurality of plasma processing apparatuses and is disassembled before transfer, is transferred to a customer, and is reassembled at a customer site, each plasma processing apparatus comprising a plasma processing chamber including an electrode for exciting a plasma and a radiofrequency feeder, the electrode being connected to an output end of the radiofrequency feeder; a radiofrequency generator for supplying a radiofrequency voltage to the electrode; and a matching circuit having an input terminal and an output terminal, the input terminal being connected to the radiofrequency generator and the output terminal being connected to an input end of the radiofrequency feeder so as to achieve impedance matching between the plasma processing chamber and the radiofrequency generator, the performance management system comprises a server which stores data of the power frequency fe supplied from the radiofrequency generator to the plasma processing chambers; and a customer I/O device linked to the server via a communication line, wherein the server receives the first series resonant frequencies f01 measured at the input end of the radiofrequency supplier after the delivery of the plasma processing chambers, and transmits a signal indicating satisfying the required level of the performance when the three times the first resonant frequency f01 is larger than the power frequency fe in all the plasma processing chambers, and a signal indicating not satisfying the required level of the performance when the three times the first resonant frequency f01 is not larger than the power frequency fe in any one of the plasma processing chambers.
According to another aspect of the present invention, in a performance management system for a plasma processing system which includes a plurality of plasma processing apparatuses and is disassembled before transfer, is transferred to a customer, and is reassembled at a customer site, each plasma processing apparatus comprising a plasma processing chamber including an electrode for exciting a plasma and a radiofrequency feeder, the electrode being connected to an output end of the radiofrequency feeder; a radiofrequency generator for supplying a radiofrequency voltage to the electrode; and a matching circuit having an input terminal and an output terminal, the input terminal being connected to the radiofrequency generator and the output terminal being connected to an input end of the radiofrequency feeder so as to achieve impedance matching between the plasma processing chamber and the radiofrequency generator, the performance management system comprises a server which stores data of the power frequency fe supplied from the radiofrequency generator to the plasma processing chambers; and a customer I/O device linked to the server via a communication line, wherein the server receives the first series resonant frequencies f01 measured at the input terminal of the matching circuit after the delivery of the plasma processing chambers, and transmits a signal indicating satisfying the required level of the performance when the three times the first resonant frequency f01 is larger than the power frequency fe in all the plasma processing chambers, and a signal indicating not satisfying the required level of the performance when the three times the first resonant frequency f01 is not larger than the power frequency fe in any one of the plasma processing chambers.
According to another aspect of the present invention, in a performance management system for a plasma processing system which includes a plurality of plasma processing apparatuses and is disassembled before transfer, is transferred to a customer, and is reassembled at a customer site, each plasma processing apparatus comprising a plasma processing chamber including an electrode for exciting a plasma and a radiofrequency feeder, the electrode being connected to an output end of the radiofrequency feeder; a radiofrequency generator for supplying a radiofrequency voltage to the electrode; and a matching circuit having an input terminal and an output terminal, the input terminal being connected to the radiofrequency generator and the output terminal being connected to an input end of the radiofrequency feeder so as to achieve impedance matching between the plasma processing chamber and the radiofrequency generator, the performance management system comprises a server having an output device, and a customer I/O device linked to the server via a communication line, wherein the server receives data of the identification numbers and the radiofrequency characteristics A1 measured at the input end of the radiofrequency feeder after the delivery of the plasma processing chambers, and outputs the identification numbers and a maintenance command through the output device when the variation A1r, defined by (A1maxxe2x88x92A1min)/(A1max+A1min), between the maximum frequency A1max and the minimum frequency A1min among radiofrequency characteristics A1 is not less than the upper limit.
According to another aspect of the present invention, in a performance management system for a plasma processing system which includes a plurality of plasma processing apparatuses and is disassembled before transfer, is transferred to a customer, and is reassembled at a customer site, each plasma processing apparatus comprising a plasma processing chamber including an electrode for exciting a plasma and a radiofrequency feeder, the electrode being connected to an output end of the radiofrequency feeder; a radiofrequency generator for supplying a radiofrequency voltage to the electrode; and a matching circuit having an input terminal and an output terminal, the input terminal being connected to the radiofrequency generator and the output terminal being connected to an input end of the radiofrequency feeder so as to achieve impedance matching between the plasma processing chamber and the radiofrequency generator, the performance management system comprises a server having an output device, and a customer I/O device linked to the server via a communication line, wherein the server receives data of the identification numbers and the radiofrequency characteristics A1 measured at the input end of the radiofrequency supplier after the delivery of the plasma processing chambers, and outputs the identification numbers and a maintenance command through the output device when the variation A1r, defined by (A1maxxe2x88x92A1min)/(A1max+A1min), between the maximum frequency A1max and the minimum frequency A1min among radiofrequency characteristics A1 is not less than the upper limit.
According to another aspect of the present invention, in a performance management system for a plasma processing system which includes a plurality of plasma processing apparatuses and is disassembled before transfer, is transferred to a customer, and is reassembled at a customer site, each plasma processing apparatus comprising a plasma processing chamber including an electrode for exciting a plasma and a radiofrequency feeder, the electrode being connected to an output end of the radiofrequency feeder; a radiofrequency generator for supplying a radiofrequency voltage to the electrode; and a matching circuit having an input terminal and an output terminal, the input terminal being connected to the radiofrequency generator and the output terminal being connected to an input end of the radiofrequency feeder so as to achieve impedance matching between the plasma processing chamber and the radiofrequency generator, the performance management system comprises a server having an output device, and a customer I/O device linked to the server via a communication line, wherein the server receives data of the identification numbers and the radiofrequency characteristics A1 measured at the input terminal of the matching circuit after the delivery of the plasma processing chambers, and outputs the identification numbers and a maintenance command through the output device when the variation A1r, defined by (A1maxxe2x88x92A1min)/(A1max+A1min), between the maximum frequency A1max and the minimum frequency A1min among radiofrequency characteristics A1 is not less than the upper limit.
In each performance validation system for a plasma processing system which is purchased by a customer from a maintenance engineer and which is controlled by the performance management system according to the immediately preceding aspect of the invention, the performance validation system comprises a customer terminal, an engineer terminal, and information providing means, wherein the customer terminal requests, via a public line, browsing of performance information of the plasma processing system which is disassembled before transfer, is transferred to a customer, and is reassembled at a customer site, a maintenance engineer uploads the performance information to the information providing means through the engineer terminal, and the information providing means provides the performance information uploaded from the engineer terminal to the customer terminal upon the request from the customer terminal.
In each aspect, the radiofrequency characteristic A is preferably any one of a resonant frequency f, an impedance Zef at the frequency of the radiofrequency waves, a resistance Ref at the frequency of the radiofrequency waves, and a reactance Xef at the frequency of the radiofrequency waves.
In each aspect, the upper limit of the variation A1r (or the variation f01r) of the radiofrequency characteristics A1 (or the first resonant frequencies f01) after the deliver is preferably 0.1 and more preferably 0.03.
In the performance management system for the plasma processing apparatus or plasma processing system of the present invention, it is preferable that the output device outputs a maintenance command to the customer I/O device when three times the first series resonant frequency f01 be not larger than the power frequency fe.
In the performance validation system for the plasma processing apparatus of the present invention, the performance information may include the radiofrequency characteristic A. In addition, the performance information may output as catalogs or specifications.
Next, the present invention is described in detail below.
In the present invention, a plasma processing chamber is evaluated based on the radiofrequency characteristic A. The radiofrequency characteristic A is closely associated with the performance of the plasma processing apparatus such as an effective power consumption in the plasma space and readily fluctuates when an event that gives ill effects to the performance of the plasma processing apparatus, such as vibration during transferring of the plasma processing apparatus or reassembling the plasma processing apparatus at the delivery site occurs.
The absolute value of the difference xcex94A between A0 which is the radiofrequency characteristic A measured at a time t0 and A1 which is the radiofrequency characteristic A measured at a later time t1 is closely associated with the fluctuation in performance of the plasma processing apparatus. Moreover, when this value is kept less than an upper limit, the fluctuation in performance of the plasma processing apparatus can also be kept within a required level. Thus, by comparing the absolute value of the difference xcex94A to the upper limit, it is possible to evaluate the performance of the plasma processing apparatus.
In other words, it is possible to examine whether the plasma processing apparatus maintains a required performance level at the time the plasma processing apparatus is first installed after being disassembled for transfer, after plasma processes are repeated, or at the time of adjustment and maintenance. When a plurality of the plasma processing chambers are provided, it is possible to examine whether the difference in performance among these plasma processing chambers is kept within an appropriate range.
According to the evaluation method of the plasma processing apparatus of the present invention, the measurement of the radiofrequency characteristic A can be instantaneously performed. Thus, it is possible to reduce the time required to evaluate the plasma processing apparatus compared to conventional evaluation processes requiring the steps of evaluating the processed (deposited) substrates. Moreover, the cost of substrates for evaluation, the cost of evaluating the processed substrates, the labor cost for workers engaged in the evaluation process, etc., can be reduced.
According to the evaluation method of the plasma processing apparatus of the present invention, the plasma processing apparatus can be evaluated in an instant at low costs. According to the maintenance method of the plasma processing apparatus of the present invention, the performance evaluation can be performed at a desired interval and corrective action can be readily performed in response to the obtained results since the evaluation can be performed in an instant at low costs. Moreover, according to the performance management system of the plasma processing apparatus of this invention, the user in possession of the plasma processing apparatus can readily be informed of the evaluation results by using a server maintained by, for example, a manufacturer. Furthermore, according to the plasma processing apparatus of this invention, plasma processes can be stably performed since the plasma processing apparatus maintains a desired performance level using the radiofrequency characteristic A which can be evaluated at any time.
In the case of a plasma processing apparatus having a plurality of plasma processing chambers, substantially the same results can be obtained by the same process recipe for these plasma processing chambers with reference to the radiofrequency characteristics A of these chambers. When layers are formed in these processing chambers, these layers can have substantially the same characteristics, e.g., the thickness, the isolation voltage, and the etching rate.
According to the performance evaluation method for the plasma processing system of the present invention, the performance of the plasma processing system can be rapidly evaluated at low cost. Moreover, substantially the same results can be obtained by the same process recipe for plasma processing chambers contained in the plasma processing system, with reference to the radiofrequency characteristics A of these chambers. When layers are formed in these processing chambers, these layers can have substantially the same characteristics, e.g., the thickness, the isolation voltage, and the etching rate.
According to the performance management system for the plasma processing apparatus of the present invention, users and so on can readily know the results of performance evaluation through a server controlled by the manufacturer. According to the performance management system for the plasma processing system of the present invention, users can readily know the results of performance evaluation and variation according to the chambers through a server controlled by the manufacturer.
The invention contributes to preventing performance of abnormal plasma processing operation and to maintaining the plasma processing apparatus at a required level.
Moreover, it is possible to obtain substantially the same plasma processing results by applying the same process recipe. That is, for example, when a deposition process is performed in the plasma processing chamber, it is possible to continuously manufacture the layers having substantially the same layer characteristics such as layer thickness, isolation voltage, etching rate, etc.
When the plasma processing apparatus has many plasma processing chambers or when many plasma processing apparatuses are integrated into a plasma processing system, the radiofrequency characteristic A may be obtained for each of the plasma processing chambers for the purpose of evaluation.
In each of the above-described aspects of the present invention, the point at which the radiofrequency characteristic A is measured may be the input end of the radiofrequency feeder (feed plate).
By evaluating the fluctuation in the radiofrequency characteristics, it is possible to evaluate the fluctuation in the effective power consumed in the plasma space. Thus, it is possible to evaluate whether substantially the same plasma processing results can be obtained by applying the same process recipe.
Preferably, the point at which the radiofrequency characteristic A is measured is the input terminal of a matching circuit.
In this manner, the radiofrequency characteristics of the matching circuit as well as the plasma processing chamber can be evaluated. Thus, compared to the foregoing point of measurement, the evaluation of the effective power consumed in the plasma space and the evaluation of the plasma processing results can be further accurately performed.
In each of the aspects of the present invention described above, the point at which the radiofrequency characteristic A is measured may be an input end of a radiofrequency supplier (feeding line).
In this manner, the radiofrequency characteristics of the plasma processing chamber, the matching circuit, and the radiofrequency supplier can be evaluated. Thus, compared to the points of measurement described above, the evaluation of the effective power consumed in the plasma space and the evaluation of the plasma processing results can be yet further accurately performed.
In each of the aspects of the present invention described above, the radiofrequency characteristic A may be any one of resonant frequency f, impedance Ze at a power frequency, resistance Re at the power frequency, and reactance X at the power frequency. In this manner, it is possible to evaluate the plasma processing apparatus based on the radiofrequency characteristic. As for the resonant frequency f, a first series resonant frequency f0, which is the lowest frequency at the minima of the impedance Z in an impedance curve, and a series frequency f0xe2x80x2, which is defined by the capacitance between two electrodes for exciting a plasma, may be used.
A voltage-current amplitude ratio expressed in Formula 1 below and a voltage-current phase difference expressed in Formula 2 below may also be used as the radiofrequency characteristic A.                                           R            2                    +                      X            2                                              Formula        ⁢                  xe2x80x83                ⁢        1                                          tan                      -            1                          ⁡                  (                      X            R                    )                                    Formula        ⁢                  xe2x80x83                ⁢        2            
When the impedance Ze at the frequency of the radiofrequency generator is employed as the radiofrequency characteristic A, it is not necessary to find the dependence of the radiofrequency characteristic on the frequency in the plasma chambers. Thus, the impedance Ze at the frequency of the radiofrequency generator can be readily determined compared with the resonant frequency f which must be determined by the dependence of the impedance Z on the frequency. Moreover, the impedance Ze can directly reflect the radiofrequency electrical characteristic at the plasma excitation frequency of the plasma chambers.
When the resistance Re or the reactance Xe is employed, this can more directly reflect the radiofrequency electrical characteristic at the plasma excitation frequency of the plasma chamber compared with the impedance Ze which corresponds to the vector quantity defined by the resistance Re and the reactance Xe.
A first series resonant frequency f0 may also be employed as the radiofrequency characteristic A.
The first series resonant frequency f0 is a radiofrequency characteristic mainly determined by the mechanical structure and is likely to differ according to individual plasma processing chambers. The first series resonant frequency f0 is closely associated with stability of the plasma generation and uniform operation.
When the first series resonant frequency f0 is employed as the radiofrequency characteristic A, it is possible to evaluate the operation of the plasma processing apparatus more accurately.
When the resonant frequency f is employed as the radiofrequency characteristic A, other series resonant frequencies in addition to the first series resonant frequency f0 need to be considered. That is, the characteristics of all the paths of the electrical current branching inside the chamber need to be considered. Thus, the difference in performance among the plasma processing chambers can be evaluated more precisely. However, the analysis therefor requires more time and effort, which is the disadvantage of employing the resonant frequency f.
Now, the definition of the first series resonant frequency f0 is explained.
First, the dependency of the impedance of the plasma chamber on frequency is measured. During the measurement, the region of the plasma processing chamber in which the impedance is measured is defined as will be described in later sections, and the impedance within this measured region is measured while varying the frequency oscillated from the impedance meter in order to obtain the vector quantity (Z, xcex8) of the impedance. Herein, considering the power frequency fe is likely to be set at 13.56 MHz, 27.12 MHz, 40.68 MHz, or the like, the frequency oscillated from the impedance meter is varied over the range of 1 MHz to 100 MHz.
FIG. 5 is a graph for explaining the first series resonant frequency f0. The graph shows dependency of the impedance Z and the phase xcex8 on frequency.
Next, as shown in FIG. 5, impedance Z and phase xcex8 are plotted relative to the frequency to give an impedance characteristic curve and a phase curve. The first series resonant frequency f0 is then defined as the lowest frequency among the frequencies at the minima Z.
Now, the region of the plasma processing chamber in which the impedance is measured (measured region) will be explained.
A radiofrequency generator is connected to the plasma processing chamber via a matching circuit. The measured region of the impedance begins from the output terminal of the matching circuit.
The matching circuit is often constituted from a plurality of passive devices in order to adjust the impedance in response to the change in plasma state inside the plasma processing chamber.
FIG. 2 illustrates a matching circuit 2A which is an example of the matching circuit employed in the plasma processing apparatus.
As shown in FIG. 2, the matching circuit 2A comprises a coil 23 and a tuning capacitor 24 connected in series between a radiofrequency generator 1 and a plasma excitation electrode 4, and a load capacitor 22 which is connected in parallel to the radiofrequency generator 1 at one end having the other end thereof grounded. The matching circuit 2A is separated from the plasma processing chamber at the output terminal position of the passive elements located at the final output stage among the plurality of the passive elements constituting the matching circuit 2A, i.e., the measuring point PR corresponding to the position of the output terminal of the tuning capacitor 24 which is connected to the plasma excitation electrode 4. The remaining portion of the plasma processing chamber is defined as the measured region.
Alternatively, instead of the above-described measuring point, a measuring point PR2 which corresponds to the input end of the radiofrequency feed line 1A may be employed to define the measured region of the plasma processing chamber, as shown in FIG. 2. Herein, the feed line 1A connecting the radiofrequency generator 1 to the matching circuit 2A is disconnected from the radiofrequency generator 1 at the output end thereof, thereby separating the radiofrequency generator 1 from the plasma processing chamber. The remaining portion of the plasma processing chamber is defined as the measured region.
Alternatively, instead of the above-described measuring point, a measuring point PR3 which corresponds to the input terminal of the matching circuit 2A connected to the feed line 1A may be employed to define the measured region of the plasma processing chamber, as shown in FIG. 2. Herein, the feed line 1A is disconnected from the input end of the matching circuit 2A at the measuring point PR3, and the remaining portion of the plasma processing chamber is defined as the measured region.
In the present invention, no specific limit is imposed as to the value with which the absolute value of the difference xcex94A between A0, which is the radiofrequency characteristic A measured at time t0, and A1, which is the radiofrequency characteristic A measured at time t1, is compared. For example, the value may be set at 10% of A0. In this case, when applied to a plasma-enhanced CVD apparatus, the fluctuation in the deposition rate can be maintained within 5%.
More preferably, the value may be set at 3% of A0. In this case, when applied to a plasma-enhanced CVD apparatus, the fluctuation in the deposition rate can be maintained within 2%.
A performance management system of a plasma processing apparatus according to the present invention aims to evaluate the performance of the plasma processing apparatus at a time t1, which is a time later than the time t0, in order to control the performance of the plasma processing apparatus. Examples of the time t1 are a time after the plasma processing apparatus which is to be delivered to a customer from a manufacturer, a distributor, a maintenance engineer, etc., is disassembled at the delivery site, transferred to the customer site, and reassembled at the customer site, and a time during the use thereof.
The server of this management system is maintained by a person who delivers the plasma processing apparatus, such as a manufacturer, a distributor, or a maintenance engineer; however, the location of the server is not limited to the delivery site. The server stores A0 which is the radiofrequency characteristic A measured prior to disassembling the plasma processing apparatus. Using A0, the performance of the plasma processing apparatus at the customer site is evaluated.
The value of A0 may be a standard value of the radiofrequency characteristic A managed by the manufacturer. Alternatively, the server may store the values of A0 particular to the plasma processing chambers having different identification numbers. Thus, more precise evaluation of the plasma processing chambers located at the customer site can be performed, and the performance management system with further higher precision can be achieved.
The identification number of the plasma processing chamber may be of any form as long as the plasma processing chambers can be distinctively identified and may include numerals and characters. For example, in a plasma processing apparatus having one plasma processing chamber, the serial number of the plasma processing apparatus may be used as the identification number of the plasma processing chamber.
The server is connected to an input-output (I/O) device located at the customer site via a communication line. No limit is imposed as to the media and the types of the communication line as long as signals can be exchanged between the remote server and the I/O device. Wire communication media such as cables, optical fiber lines, or satellite circuits, or wireless communication media may be suitably employed. Various types of communications such as telephone network, the Internet, or the like may also be used. Moreover, no limit is imposed as to the types of the I/O devices located at the customer site. Any one of a personal computer, a dedicated terminal, a telephone, etc., may be suitably selected as the customer I/O device according to the type of the communication line used.
The server receives A1 measured after the plasma processing apparatus has been reassembled at the customer site from the I/O device at the customer site. The identification number of the plasma processing apparatus may also be received if necessary. Herein, the statement xe2x80x9cafter the plasma processing apparatus has been reassembledxe2x80x9d refers not only to the time immediately after the reassembly but also to the subsequent time period during which the plasma processing apparatus is operated. The server continuously receives the values of A1 which reflect the performance of the plasma processing apparatus at the customer site.
A customer at the location at which the plasma processing apparatus is installed or a service engineer sent to the customer site may manually input the values of A1 and the identification number of the plasma processing apparatus from the customer I/O device to be transmitted to the server. This input operation can be automated to save the labor cost. For example, the customer I/O device may be connected to an impedance meter which is connected to the plasma processing apparatus, and data of A1 may be directly sent from the impedance meter to the server. Moreover, when a customer uses a plasma processing apparatus having only one plasma processing chamber, it is possible to skip the input operation of the identification number by once registering the identification number of that plasma processing apparatus to the customer I/O device.
The server calculates the absolute value of the difference xcex94A between the obtained values of A0 and A1 using a processing unit inside. A result smaller than an upper limit indicates that the performance is maintained to a required level, and a signal to that effect (evaluation information) is transmitted from the server to the customer I/O device. A result equal to or more than the upper limit indicates that the performance is not maintained to the required level, and a signal to that effect (evaluation information) is transmitted from the server to the customer I/O device. The customer I/O device receives this evaluation information which allows the customer to be aware of the evaluation results of the plasma processing apparatus. The customer I/O device is capable of communicating with the customer by a suitable process, including displaying the evaluation information at its display, printing-out the evaluation information, and sending an alarm.
The server has an output device located at the delivery site. When the absolute value of xcex94A is not less than an upper limit, the output device may output a maintenance command as the evaluation information. Preferably, the identification number of the relevant plasma processing chamber is output at the same time. In this manner, the defect of the plasma processing apparatus located at the customer site can be rapidly detected at the delivery site, and maintenance services can be performed without delay.
Note that when the server is not installed at the delivery site, a desired communication line may be used to link the server and the output device.
When the evaluation information is provided to both the customer I/O device and the output device at the delivery site, the upper limit that serves as the basis of the evaluation information need not be the same value. For example, the upper limit for the evaluation information transmitted to the customer I/O device may be set at 10% of A0 so that a signal indicating that required performance level is not maintained is output when A0 exceeds this value. Meanwhile, the upper limit for the evaluation information transmitted to the output device at the delivery site may be set at 3% of A0 so that a maintenance command is output when this value is exceeded. When the maintenance command is dispatched based on the evaluation standard tighter than that in the customer I/O device as in the above, it is possible to provide maintenance services before the performance of the plasma processing apparatus at the customer site is significantly changed. That is, the service system becomes more preventive.
The performance management system of the plasma processing apparatus according to another aspect of the present invention also aims to evaluate the performance of the plasma processing apparatus at a time t1, which is a time later than the time t0, in order to control the performance of the plasma processing apparatus. Examples of the time t1 are a time after the plasma processing apparatus which is to be delivered to a customer from a manufacturer, a distributor, a maintenance engineer, etc., is disassembled at the delivery site, transferred to the customer site, and reassembled at the customer site, and a time during the use thereof.
The performance management system of the plasma processing apparatus according to this aspect of the present invention differs from the foregoing performance management system in that the server stores service engineer information registered according to fault levels each defined by a predetermined range of values and that the server has an output device located at the delivery site. After the server has calculated the absolute value of xcex94A, if the calculated value is within a predetermined range assigned to a particular fault level, the output device outputs a maintenance command, the fault level, and the information of the service engineers registered to that fault level simultaneously.
Thus, the fault level of the plasma processing apparatus installed at a remote location can be detected at the delivery site, and a service engineer having skill sufficient for the detected fault level can be readily dispatched. Accordingly, engineers can be efficiently managed, and rapid yet adequate maintenance system can be efficiently achieved even after the plasma processing apparatus is delivered to the customer site.
In the performance validation system of the plasma processing apparatus according to the present invention, the customer may view the performance information uploaded by a maintenance engineer indicating the operation of the plasma processing unit via a public line through an information terminal. Thus, the customer who purchased the plasma processing apparatus can be readily provided with the information regarding operation, performance, and maintenance of the plasma processing apparatus. Moreover, because the performance information includes the information regarding the radiofrequency characteristic A such as first series resonant frequency f0 serving as a performance parameter of the plasma processing apparatus, a customer can be provided with the basis of the performance evaluation of the plasma processing apparatus. Furthermore, the performance information can be output as a catalog or a specification document.
In the present invention, an evaluation standard (Evaluation Standard 1) is whether or not three times the first series resonant frequency f0 of the plasma processing chamber is larger than the power frequency fe.
When three times the first series resonant frequency f0 of the plasma processing chamber is larger than the power frequency fe, electrical power can be more effectively fed into the plasma generating space even if the power frequency fe is higher than a conventional level, 13.56 MHz. When the power frequency fe is the same as the conventional level, the electrical power can be more effectively consumed in the plasma space, resulting in an increased deposition rate.
Since the first series resonant frequency f0 mainly depends on the mechanical structure, thus the individual plasma processing chambers have different first series resonant frequencies f0. By setting the first series resonant frequency f0 to the above-described range, the overall radiofrequency characteristics of the plasma chambers can be optimized, achieving stable plasma generation. Consequently, the plasma processing apparatus exhibits improved operation stability.
In the present invention, another evaluation standard (Evaluation Standard 2) is whether or not the variation A1r of the radiofrequency characteristics A1 after delivery is less than the upper limit.
When a radiofrequency voltage is applied to the electrodes of the plasma processing chamber, the radiofrequency characteristic A is measured at the input end of the radiofrequency feeder of each plasma processing chamber to determine the maximum frequency A1max and the minimum frequency A1min. The A1r is defined by equation (1A) using the maximum frequency A1max and the minimum frequency A1min.
A1rxe2x95x90(A1maxxe2x88x92A1min)/(A1max+A1min)xe2x80x83xe2x80x83(1A) 
When the variation A1r is less than the upper limit, the plasma processing chambers substantially have the same radiofrequency characteristics, such as impedance and resonant frequency characteristics. Since the different plasma processing chambers can be controlled within a predetermined range using the impedance characteristics etc., these plasma processing chambers can consume substantially the same electrical power in the plasma spaces.
As a result, substantially the same results can be obtained by the same process recipe for plasma processing chambers contained in the plasma processing system. When layers are formed in these processing chambers, these layers can have substantially the same characteristics, e.g., the thickness, the isolation voltage, and the etching rate.
In the present invention, Standard Evaluations 1 and 2 may be used in combination. In this case, the performance evaluation method allows the plasma processing apparatus to maintain at a highly stable operation state. Moreover, the performance evaluation method maintains reduced differences in radiofrequency characteristics such as resonant frequency characteristics between the different plasma processing chambers.
In Evaluation Standard 2, the radiofrequency characteristic A may be any one of a resonant frequency f, an impedance Zef at the frequency of the radiofrequency waves, a resistance Ref at the frequency of the radiofrequency waves, and a reactance Xef at the frequency of the radiofrequency waves.
In this case, the variation A1r (or f01r) of the radiofrequency characteristics A1 (or first resonant frequency f01) after the delivery may be any value, for example, 0.1. When the variation A1r is 0.1, the variation in layer thickness can be controlled within xc2x15%, resulting in uniform plasma deposition.
When the variation A1r is less than 0.03, the different plasma processing chambers have substantially the same radiofrequency characteristics such as impedance and resonant frequency characteristics. These plasma processing chambers can be controlled within a predetermined level using the impedance characteristics, consuming substantially the same power in the plasma spaces thereof.
As a result, substantially the same results can be obtained by the same process recipe for these plasma processing chambers. When layers are formed in these processing chambers, these layers can have substantially the same characteristics, e.g., the thickness, the isolation voltage, and the etching rate. When the variation A1r is 0.03, the variation in layer thickness can be controlled within xc2x12%, resulting in uniform plasma deposition.
The performance management system for the plasma processing apparatus or system of the present invention evaluates to control the performance of the plasma processing apparatus or system, based on the above evaluation standards, which is disassembled at the delivery site, transferred to the customer site, reassembled and used at the customer site.
The server in this system is controlled at the delivery site, for example, by the manufacturer of the plasma processing apparatus, distributors, or maintenance engineers. The server, however, may not be placed at the delivery site.
The server is linked to I/O devices placed at customer sites via communication lines. The communication line may be of any form which can perform transmitting/receiving of signals between the server and the I/O devices which are distant from each other. Examples of communication lines are communication media, such as cables, optical fiber lines, satellite circuits, telephone lines, and the Internet. Any type of the customer I/O device may be used without limitation as long as the device can perform transmitting/receiving of signals to/from the server via the communication line. Examples of such devices are personal computers, dedicated terminals, and telephones. In the performance management system using Evaluation Standard 2, the input device at the delivery site may has an output function, if necessary.
In the performance management system using Evaluation Standard 1, the server stores data of the power frequency fe which is supplied to the plasma processing chamber through the radiofrequency generator to evaluate the performance of the plasma processing apparatus at the customer site.
The power frequency fe may be a standard power frequency fe which is controlled by the manufacturer. Alternatively, data of the power frequency fe may be stored for the identification number of each plasma processing chamber to more precisely evaluate each plasma processing chamber at the customer site. In such a case, the performance management system becomes more precise.
The identification number of the plasma processing chamber may be of any form and may include numerals and characters. In a plasma processing apparatus having one plasma processing chamber, the serial number of the plasma processing apparatus may be used as the identification number of the plasma processing chamber.
In such a case, the server receives data of the first resonant frequency f01 after the delivery from the customer I/O device. Herein, xe2x80x9cafter the deliveryxe2x80x9d includes xe2x80x9cimmediately after reassemblyxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9cin usexe2x80x9d after the reassembly. Accordingly, the server can continually receive data of the first resonant frequency f01 which reflects the performance of the plasma processing apparatus or system at the customer site anytime.
The server may receive data of the first resonant frequency f01 together with the identification number of the corresponding plasma processing chamber, if necessary.
In the transmission of the first resonant frequency f01 and the identification number (if necessary) of the plasma processing chamber to the server, the user or a maintenance engineer may manually input these values through the customer I/O device. The input operation can be automated or simplified. For example, an impedance meter is connected to both the plasma processing apparatus or system and the customer I/O device to directly transmit the first resonant frequency f01 to the server. In the case of a plasma processing apparatus having a single plasma processing chamber, the identification number of the plasma processing chamber is preliminarily stored in the customer I/O device and no input operation for the identification number is required for subsequent procedures.
The server compares three times the first resonant frequency f01 with the power frequency fe after the delivery by arithmetic calculation. To the customer I/O device, the server transmits a signal indicating satisfying the required level of the performance when the three times the first resonant frequency f01 is larger than the power frequency fe, and a signal indicating not satisfying the required level of the performance when the three times the first resonant frequency f01 is not larger than the power frequency fe. The customer I/O device outputs the results of the performance evaluation in any form, for example, display, print, or alarm signal.
The server is preferably provided with an output device at the parasitic device to output a maintenance command therefrom when the three times the first resonant frequency f01 is not larger than the power frequency fe after the delivery.
In this case, it is preferable to output the identification number of the corresponding plasma processing chamber so as to rapidly detect the defect of the plasma processing apparatus or system at the delivery site and to promptly start maintenance services.
If the server is not provided at the delivery site, the server and the output device may be linked via any communication line.
In the performance management system using Evaluation Standard 2, the server has an output device. The output device may be placed anywhere, and preferably is placed at a site which provides maintenance services, for example, the delivery site, the manufacturer, or a maintenance center. If the server is distant from the output device, these may be linked via any communication line.
The server evaluates the performance of the plasma processing apparatus at the customer site by Standard Evaluation 2 and outputs a maintenance command and the identification numbers of the plasma processing chambers having the maximum A1max and minimum A1min when the results are not desirable.
The server receives data of the radiofrequency characteristic A1 after the deliver from the customer I/O device before the evaluation based on Evaluation Standard 2. Herein, xe2x80x9cafter the deliveryxe2x80x9d includes xe2x80x9cimmediately after reassemblyxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9cin usexe2x80x9d after the reassembly. Accordingly, the server can continually receives data of the first resonant frequency f01 which reflects the performance of the plasma processing apparatus or system at the customer site anytime.
The server also receives the identification number of the plasma processing chamber having the radiofrequency characteristic A1.
In the transmission of the radiofrequency characteristic A1 and the identification number (if necessary) of the plasma processing chamber to the server, the user or a maintenance engineer may manually input these values through the customer I/O device. The input operation can be automated or simplified. For example, an impedance meter is connected to both the plasma processing apparatus or system and the customer I/O device to directly transmit the radiofrequency characteristic A1 to the server. In the case of a plasma processing apparatus having a single plasma processing chamber, the identification number of the plasma processing chamber is preliminarily stored in the customer I/O device and no input operation for the identification number is required for subsequent procedures.
The server receives data of the radiofrequency characteristics A1 of all plasma processing chambers included in the plasma processing apparatus or system and specifies the maximum A1max, the minimum A1min, and the identification numbers of the plasma processing chambers having the maximum or minimum. Next, the server calculates the variation A1r according to the equation:
A1rxe2x95x90(A1maxxe2x88x92A1min)/(A1max+A1min) 
When the variation A1r is larger than the upper limit, the output device outputs a maintenance command and the identification numbers of the plasma processing chambers having the maximum A1max or minimum A1min.
The defect of the plasma processing apparatus or system at the customer site can be rapidly detected at the maintenance engineer site, prompting maintenance services.
The performance evaluation method for the plasma processing apparatus or system can readily detect the performance of the apparatus or system when the apparatus is reassembled, is used for plasma treatment to workpieces, and is subjected to adjustment works including overhaul, parts replacement, and assembly with alignment.
The performance evaluation method can also readily detect the performance of the apparatus or system, when the apparatus or system is used after being reassembled at the customer site.
Also, the performance evaluation method of the present invention can rapidly perform corrective action to restore the performance of the plasma processing apparatus.
The performance management system for the plasma processing apparatus or system of the present invention controls the performance evaluation of the plasma processing apparatus or system at the customer site and provides rapid and satisfactory maintenance services so as to maintain the performance of the apparatus or system at a required level.
The plasma processing apparatus of the present invention can maintain a required level of performance during operation, resulting in continuous plasma processing.